Quote:
Originally Posted by shermanator
Just incredibly short term thinking from the NHL, looking for the most $ up front rather than new teams that can be stable. Have they not learned anything from the struggles of Florida, Atlanta, Arizona and Carolina?
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Whilst I agree with the general point, using those teams as examples doesn't really bear comparison imo.
3 of those 4 cities(Miami, Atlanta and Phoenix) had major sports teams from the other 3 leagues already embedded in the community. What major sports teams are the Vegas franchise competing with?
Also, 3 of the 4 arenas where those teams played/play their games are located miles away from the city centre. 17 miles from the Coyotes arena to the Phoenix city centre. The Panthers are located 30 miles away from Miami. PNC Arena, 5 miles outside of Raleigh.
The Vegas team are a stones throw away from a major international airport and the main Casino strip in the city. They are right in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world. Now, they might fail badly, but I think this franchise is a fairly unqiue entity and if they fail, I won't blame the NHL for trying it. Maybe they could have moved a struggling team, but I think this team has the best chance at succeeding. Also, I think there might be the chance to move the team to Seattle should this proposal fail in 5-10 years time.